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CRP Contact Info
Ronnie Bryant, CEcD, FM, HLM
President & CEO
rbryant@charlotteusa.com
Kenny McDonald, CEcD
Senior VP, Economic Development Services
kmcdonald@charlotteusa.com
Charlotte Regional Partnership
1001 Morehead Square Dr.
Suite 200
Charlotte, NC 28203
Phone: 704-347-8942
Fax: 704-347-8981
Toll Free : 1-800-554-4373
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Charlotte Regional Partnership kicks off Charlotte USA national ad campaign
The 16-county Charlotte USA region is getting valuable national exposure through an aggressive advertising campaign in some of the largest television markets in the U.S. The broadcast initiative will be bolstered with a print media effort targeted at CEOs and other corporate decision makers.
The campaign kicked off October 8 with the premier of a 30-second television commercial on CNN in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco/Oakland, Boston and Philadelphia. The commercial began airing in the same markets on CNBC October 9.
The commercial, produced by Luquire George Andrews Inc. of Charlotte, highlights Charlotte USA's outstanding business climate, global accessibility and outstanding quality of life. The commercial will run eight times per week for eight weeks on CNN during the highly watched 6 a.m.-8 a.m; and six times per week for four weeks on CNBC during the same time period.
 To view the Charlotte USA commercial, please click here
"Our research tells us that the competition among regions to lure new and expanded operations is more intense than ever," says Michael Almond, president and CEO of the Charlotte Regional Partnership. "We must strategically and aggressively reach decision makers with the facts about Charlotte USA's outstanding business strength, accessibility and quality of life."
In an accompanying print advertising program, four editions of Fortune magazine will be "wrapped" in a cover featuring Charlotte USA. In the first edition, dated Sept. 30, Wachovia Corporation president and CEO Ken Thompson is on the cover with the Charlotte skyline as a backdrop and the headline, "A Vision of Balance: Regional leaders create the ideal relocation and expansion destination in Charlotte USA." The special edition, with the full Fortune magazine inside, is being sent, along with a one-year subscription to the magazine and a targeted letter from Thompson, to about 2,000 key corporate leaders nationwide.
"Today, due in part to the exceptional quality of life in Charlotte USA, (Wachovia has) attracted some of the most talented people in the world," Thompson says in his letter. "A diverse economy, a well-educated workforce, and visionary leaders in business and government have also helped smooth the way for our success."
 To see the Charlotte USA campaign in Fortune, please click here
A similar campaign will be initiated with Travel and Leisure Golf magazine beginning in November, with four issues and a target list of 1,000 additional executives. The first Travel and Leisure Golf cover wrap also features Thompson, this time in a golf shirt and leaning on a golf club, with the headline, "A Balanced Approach: Well-rounded Charlotte USA welcomes the PGA Tour - Spring 2003." The headline is a reference to the Wachovia Championship.
To see the Charlotte USA Travel & Leisure Golf campaign, please click here
"Support from corporate leaders is critical to our efforts," Almond said. "Executives value the opinions of other trusted, respected, successful business leaders." Bank of America and Wachovia have each contributed $1.25 million in the first phase of a $5 million Charlotte USA campaign.
"Charlotte USA is an ideal example of business leaders coming together in a strategic effort based on solid research," Almond says. "Economic development is crucial to the continued health of our region and the quality of life that makes Charlotte USA a great place to live and work."
Through its Charlotte USA initiative and other ambitious efforts, the Charlotte Regional Partnership has helped spread the word across the country and around the world about our region's unique and outstanding balance of business strength, accessibility and quality of life. The message is getting through, according to a RoperASW 2002 follow-up to an earlier benchmark study commissioned by CRP to measure awareness and impressions of the Charlotte region locally and across the country.
In the 2002 update, a higher percentage of companies outside the area, and the relocation consultants who advise them, had a more favorable impression of Charlotte USA than all other major Southeast regions in the poll. At the same time, the research showed that the competition among regions has become more intense.
To see a summary of the Charlotte Regional Partnership research, please click here
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